Blake's Choice Read Online Free PDF

all, and he’s pretty big on togetherness.”
    “Yeah.” Karen sounded distracted. “Listen, you might want to talk to him about it. He generally doesn’t like to be out in crowds.”
    “I know.” Mandy frowned as she opened the car door. She hadn’t considered that Blake might not come with her to the picnic. It was one of the highlights of her career, an event that would draw thousands and hopefully raise a buttload of money for a children’s charity. “Listen, Karen, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
    She slammed the car door, shoved her phone into a pocket and hurried to the front door. She unlocked it with her key. That was a big deal, right? A guy didn’t give you a key to his house unless he was pretty serious about you. And if you were serious about someone, you supported them in their career.
    Right?
    “That you, babe?”
    Her knees weakened at the sound of Blake’s mellow voice. I wonder if that will ever go away?
    “Yeah.” She shut the door and kicked off her shoes before padding down the hallway to the kitchen. As expected, Blake was there, the table set and something that smelt delicious was simmering on the stove.
    “Hey.” Blake put down his beer and crossed the room. His kiss warmed her from the inside out, and she relaxed into his arms. He was so loving…of course he’d come to the picnic and support her.
    She pulled back and smiled at him. “Hey.”
    “Come and eat.” He took her hand and led her to her seat, then went to dish up dinner. By the time he’d settled into his chair across from her and she’d dug into her stir-fry, she was back to secure and confident.
    “So”—she scooped up some noodles—“I was just talking to Karen. She and Daniel are going to share a picnic with us at the fundraiser. This is amazing, by the way.”
    “What?” Blake put down his fork, frowning.
    Mandy looked up. “I said, this is amazing. You’re such a great cook.”
    “Thanks.” He waved the compliment away. “But what I meant was, what do you mean about Daniel and Karen sharing a picnic with us?”
    “Well…” A lump settled in Mandy’s stomach. “Well, I just thought since we’re all going to be there, we might as well eat together. And I’ll be on call helping with details all day, so at least this way you’ll have friends to hang out with.”
    “That would make sense, except I’m not going to the picnic.”
    Mandy’s stomach dropped, lump and all. “You’re not going?” Her chest was tight, and she swallowed hard.
    “No. You know I don’t go anywhere with big crowds.” His teal gaze held hers, steady and sure, even though she knew her distress must be written all over her face.
    “Yeah, but I was hoping… I mean, this is so important to me. I thought maybe you could wear a hat and sunglasses or something. It’s a picnic, everyone will be, so you wouldn’t stand out.”
    Blake shook his head. “Babe, I’m sorry, but I’m not going to risk it. The press will be there, and if The Shit Kickers are performing, there’ll be a whole lot of rock fans. I’ve stayed out of the spotlight this long, there’s no way I’m taking the chance that that will change.”
    Mandy bit her lip and glanced away, blinking back tears. “Blake…” She paused and cleared her throat. “Blake, this is really important to me.”
    He sighed, leant back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair. “Mandy, I wish it could be different, but I’m sorry.”
    Mandy swallowed, her throat suddenly dry, and pushed away her plate. “Okay. Okay. Um.” She stared fixedly at the table and wished she could pretend it didn’t matter.
    “Come on, finish your dinner.” Blake’s voice was gentle, but that just made it worse.
    “I-I’m not hungry. I think I’ll go have a shower.” She scraped back her chair and stood, still unable to meet his gaze.
    “Mandy? You’re not going to sulk over this, are you?”
    She sucked in a deep breath and forced herself to look at him. “No, of course